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‘Ordinary ed iaze and sharpening the angle of his fabulous cheekbones He had no interest in discussing the finer details, he simply wanted an answer from her: yes or no

With very little thought and even less encouragement, Ophelia could have cheerfully asked Lysander another twenty questions at least Intense curiosity had attacked her A nore? He had knocked her every expectation flat and startled her with that ade of heart? When had he decided he wasn’t prepared to let her go? Could he pinpoint the exact moment and what had led to it? What did he find most attractive about her? Least attractive? What ions of women who had preceded her? In short, why her and not someone else more beautiful, more accomplished, more his style? Because she wasn’t his style, was she? She pushed that sudden uneasy reflection to the back of herthat more questions would exasperate him For whatever reasons, Lysander had decided that he wanted to retain her as a wife

‘Ophelia…’ Lysander prorowl

All of a sudden happiness was surging through Ophelia like a river breaking its banks to forge a new course and it frightened her An ordinary eous and charisht, influenced her every ht her that he was incredible in bed and a world-class disaster as a husband Cold and distant, he had the power to destroy a vulnerable wo crueller than indifference His only passion was sexual, while her emotions ran much deeper Love had made a victim of her mother and she didn’t want to join that club On the other hand, her late parent had not been married to the object of her affections

Lysander had le of glossy blonde hair tuht, bare shoulder Her skin hite and as fine in grain as porcelain against his The faint evocative aro to her He found it incredibly sexy He watched her breathing quicken, her narrow chest rise and fall as she becah her reed-slender body Her long gold-tipped brown lashes concealed her a eyes, but the delicate flush of colour on her cheeks told him all he needed to know

‘You are already mine,’ Lysander husked with raw satisfaction

For the first time in several unbearably tense aze locked to his hard, handsome features ‘No…’

‘Liar,’ Lysander fielded, his dark deep accented drawla meal of the contradiction ‘You’re on fire for me, yineka mou’

Ophelia snatched in a hunted breath He had her cornered The aten seemed to be in short supply A huh her and she was helpless in its hold His hot, hungry scrutiny held her with spellbinding force He loosened the toith assured hands A slight sound escaped her as the fabric fell at her feet

‘I love looking at you,’ Lysanderover the sweet curve of her pouting breasts, the quivering tips of her delicate nipples and the pale silky curls that screened her femininity

His lean, strong face was intent as he lifted her onto the bed and arranged her sliulfed her, but still she couldn’t break free She thought of the bag she had packed, the proud promises she had made to herself, the independent spirit she had believed she could rely on in any crisis And yet, in the space of a ed because he had th to refuse, even though staying was ed to be loved, while all he required from her was sex…

CHAPTER NINE

LYSANDER studied Ophelia, sensing a lingering tension that went beyond her natural ht that challenged him

Her heart was banging like a drue She reached up and pulled hi his stubborn sensual mouth so much she burned for it The taste of him was dynamite to her senses She loved his kiss, the feel of his body against hers Her fingers delved into his ebony hair and clenched possessively in the springy strands

He lowered his lips to the swollen crests of her s naked while he was still clothed ency in her, a newly fierce craving for him that she couldn’t restrain Belatedly she appreciated how th it had taken to walk away fro through her in a cathartic surge With impatient hands she wrenched at his shirt

‘No…’ Loosing a husky sound of amusement, Lysander trapped her hands in his and held them captive above her head ‘I like your enthusiasm, but this is my show I’m about to drive you out of your mind with pleasure and prove that business doesn’t always come first’

‘You’re very confident,’ she whispered

‘Always’

Ophelia connected with his golden bronze eyes and awareness prickled over her entire skin surface, wild anticipation snaking through her nerve endings He bent his handsome dark head to her and she shivered He kissed her just once; the slow, deep stroke and delve of his tongue was intensely erotic It didn’t begin to satisfy her craving, only notched up her longing a little higher

He traced a tantalising path of seduction froid pointed buds of her nipples A tight ache stirred in her pelvis and she shifted restively He took his tiue and grazing thee of his teeth to a volcanic level of sensitivity that left her biting back tiny moans

A phone rang They both jerked into stillness Lysander dug his mobile out of his trouser pocket A slim hand closed into the front of his shirt ‘No…’

Sleek ebony brows pleating, he stared down at her ‘But—’

‘Don’t answer it’

‘What is this?’

‘Is this a norht as sapphires, her intonation accusing

‘Didn’t I say it was?’

Before he could guess what she intended, Ophelia snatched the phone out of his hand Switching it off, she tossed it onto the dresser and then waited, wide-eyed, for the fallout

Lysander was stunned by her daring ‘Theos…’ he began

Ophelia curved slender fingers to his blue-shadowed jaw line Metallic-bronze eyes fringed by dense black lashes surveyed her with incredulous force He was so beautiful, she could hardly breathe for wanting him

‘Kiss ed

Lysander almost reached for his phone, just to show her that she could not do what she had just done and expect i curve of her peach-soft lower lip concentrated his thoughts on more immediate necessities

‘You need to learn e Filise me’ He translated her request into Greek and waited until she had obediently repeated it Only then did he respond to her request by crushing her softher until the blood druh her veins

Desire see becae as he explored the s He pushed her hands ahen she tried to pull hi softness of her belly

‘No, you can’t,’ she mumbled in shock when she realised his objective as he splayed her slihs

Undaunted, Lysander just laughed and called her a little prude, and went right on ahead as if she hadn’t spoken Nothing could have prepared her for that level of intiulfed her from his first carnal touch Terrified that the low throaty moan

s escaping her ht be heard beyond the room, she forced her face in a pillow and bit it while her hand closed round the brass bars of the bed and clenched there Her frantic response pushed her out of control very fast In an effort to contain the fevered need he had awakened, she dug her slim hips into the mattress If he hadn’t held her steady she would have writhed The irresistible charge of sensation forced her quivering, wildly aroused body to the edge of tored to an unbearable peak and then the sweetpleasure consumed her from inside out So powerful was that release that it shredded her awareness of her surroundings for long, timeless moments of bliss in the aftermath

Lysander removed his hand fro,’ he teased, long fingers surprisingly gentle on her cheeks, which were da you lose control and knowing that I did it, hara mou’

Her blue eyes open and vulnerable fro sensual shock of her experience, Ophelia stared up at his lean dark face and she revelled in his ly close to him The mortification that had threatened to overpower her at her loss of control evaporated So, she had been a little too vocal in her appreciation and tears had coht of ecstasy In her opinion anything that had the power to

Lysander rolled back off the bed and began to shed his clothes ‘Tohts to catch, no interruptions—’